


To The Ones With Life

by Sparrow_Chirps



Category: Monster Hunter (Video Games)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:27:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23143906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sparrow_Chirps/pseuds/Sparrow_Chirps
Summary: A young man moves to the city of Loc Lac to pursue his desires of becoming a hunter. He and his allies face trial after trial as each of them find their own reason for hunting.
Kudos: 2





	1. The Great Desert Outpost

**Author's Note:**

> Just a story very vaguely based on when i played Monster Hunter Tri that i've been wanting to write for a while.

Somewhere, out in the Great Desert lies a bustling hub filled with people from all over, ranging from average citizens, merchants, and of course hunters. This hub is the city known as Loc Lac. Hunters gather here for many reasons. Some come to form teams, others want the thrill of hunting monsters they have never encountered.

A young man has arrived at the port of Loc Lac with the desire to join the ranks of legendary hunters that have come before him. He is one of many putting his life on the line and carving out his name in destiny. His name is Sparrow.

After getting off of the ship, Sparrow looks up at the buildings with awe. He has never been in such a busy city before. The crowd of people, the blazing sun, and the sand in the wind all make for an overwhelming first impression, but Sparrow is not deterred. He takes a deep breath before walking into the city.

It was fairly obvious that Sparrow wasn't from here. He couldn't quite navigate through the crowds. He got pushed around and yelled at. As he went past the various shops, merchants tried to flag him down to sell him all sorts of things ranging from supplies to something that looked like it was probably illegal. Suddenly he froze as he came to a realization. He has no idea where anything actually is.

Sparrow tried to ask some of the passersby, but they all ignored him. Next, he tried to ask some of the merchants for directions. None of them could help him. Or rather, none of them wanted to do it for free. They all said some variation of the same thing, "Buy something and I'll tell you where something is!", implying that they would only tell him one location per single item bought.

His first day here isn't quite going as he had hoped. He takes a seat on a barrel to rest his legs and think. Shortly after, he hears a voice. "Hey, you look pretty down."

Sparrow looks up to see a young guy sitting on a crate. He looks to be around Sparrow's age, early twenties. He had this big grin on his face. "The name's Hiro. Local hunter in training," he continued.

The words 'local hunter' clicked in Sparrow's head. He jumped up frantically. "Local? Can you show me around?"

Sparrow's energy got Hiro pumped up as well. "Heck yeah I can show you around! But you gotta tell me your name first."

"Sparrow!"

"All right Sparrow let's get you acquainted with the town!"

Before they could get up and leave, an angry looking man approached them with a carving knife. "Hey you punks get your behinds off my property!"

The pair of fledgling hunters ran out of there immediately, as fast as they could.

Hiro took Sparrow around the city. He showed him the blacksmith's workshop. The heat in there made the pair almost pass out when coupled with the hot desert day. Then came the merchant stalls, which Sparrow was already too familiar with. Next was the tavern, filled with all kinds of hunters having a good time. And that was it, much to Sparrow's dismay.

Despite this shortcoming, Hiro seems to be in high spirits. "So it turns out, I don't know my way around this place as well as I thought, hahaha!"

"I thought you said you were local!"

"Did I say that? My bad. I just visit here and there. The last time I was here, I was a kid."

Sparrow pinched the bridge of his nose out of frustration. "That's...way off from local."

"Ok I'm sorry. But hey, this is the most important place here. The Guildmaster is right there." Hiro points over to a a short, old Wyverian sitting up on the tavern's quest bar. "Good luck, I gotta get going."

"Hey wait a moment!" Sparrow tried to say something, but Hiro was already lost in the crowd. He sighed and thought to himself, 'That guy is a pain, what's his deal?'

Sparrow approached the Guildmaster. The Wyverian gave him a glare that sent shivers down his spine. He had to gather all of his nerves just to speak. "Uh, hi. I'm uh, I'm Sparrow and I'm-"

"I know the deal you're a new hunter, blah blah blah" the Guildmaster interrupted. Sparrow was caught off guard and stiffened up out of panic. The Guildmaster continued, "Look, we've had a bunch of dumb kids coming in lately thinking they're all that and then some. Then they get their fannies handed to them by a Kelbi."

"Uh..."

"Soooo I'm gonna need you to prove you got what it takes."

Sparrow's eyes lit up. Finally, it's his time to shine. He's ready to jump right into the thick of it. "You want me to hunt something right now? Alright, I got this. Let me just-"

"NO!"

The sudden yell made Sparrow jump. He's starting to think that the Guildmaster might be the scariest monster of all.

"You look exhausted. Rest up for tonight, then be on your way."

"Oh, um, ok. But, I don't have anywhere to sleep."

The Guildmaster had Sparrow follow him. He brought the young hunter to a small hut-like building. He explained that this is one of the living quarters for hunters here. It's small, but Sparrow thinks it's a bit cozy.

He settles in for the night and learns a glaring problem. This place is right outside of the market, and it's still busy and noisy as ever in the middle of the night. The dry desert air didn't quite make it easy to sleep either. He tossed and turned, not just due to the circumstances making it hard to sleep. But also from the excitement and anticipation for tomorrow. It's gonna be a big day. One that could make or break his career in an instant.


	2. Who's the Boss?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sparrow is tasked with his first quest to prove to the Guildmaster that he can handle being a hunter.

After finally getting some sleep, Sparrow wakes up early to get ready for the day. He wipes the sleepiness out of his eyes and sits for a moment, taking in the morning sounds. He's used to hearing birds singing at his home village. This has now been exchanged for the tapping of footsteps, the rattling of carts, and the shouting of people. Not the most pleasant wake up, but he knows he has to suck it up.

After putting on his chainmail armor, he makes his way to the tavern to talk to the Guildmaster. He approaches the old Wyverian with confidence.

"I'm ready for the quest." He declared.

The Guildmaster looked him up and down. "No you're not."

Sparrow's look of confidence oozed into bewilderment. "Huh?"

"Why the hell're you telling me? Even the punks in school know you get your quest from the lady at the counter!"

Sparrow can feel it, this is gonna be a long day. "Uh...can- can I get another tr-"

"GET GOING!!!"

Sparrow nearly tripped as he quickly scrambled to the quest counter. The girl running it gave him a contract to hunt a Great Jaggi on the Deserted Island, as requested by the Guildmaster. This is often the first monster that hunters in this area face. Sparrow thanked the girl and went on his way.

-

Often at times there are designated guides to take hunters to the various hunting grounds. It's generally the newer hunters that require them, and Sparrow is no exception. They know these territories very well and have all of the best spots to set up camp.

This trip was uneventful, but frankly that's a good thing. After arriving and getting a camp set up, Sparrow takes a moment to stretch and take in the sights. The Deserted Island is a beautiful place just teeming with nature of all sorts. The smell of the ocean is strong here, but the breeze is comfortable. The sounds of waves and sea birds fill the air. It's much more comfortable than Loc Lac. Sparrow is almost considering moving here now. But this isn't the time to relax and think about real estate. There's a job to do.

He sets out to look for the Great Jaggi, armed with an iron Sword and Shield. Trekking through the woods, he keeps an eye out for any signs of the monster. Some hunts can take awhile solely because the monster can be anywhere in these hunting grounds. Lucky for Sparrow, he's already on the trail.

The distinct howl of the Great Jaggi can be heard, and it's somewhat close too. Sparrow wastes no time going in that direction.

The howl is heard again. It's just up ahead. He finds a clearing, and right at the center of it is the target. 

The Great Jaggi is a raptor-like monster with lavender scales with a tinge of red outlining its abdomen. It has a patch of fur running from its back to its spiked tail. It's head is adorned with a large frill. It's relatively small compared to most monsters, but it's still large compared to people.

Sparrow ducked down into some bushes to observe it. It's currently busy eating a fresh kill. This could be a good moment to ambush it if it weren't for one thing. The Great Jaggi is a pack hunter. The area has a few smaller Jaggi patrolling. It's gonna be tricky to get in close. It was lucky enough to get to this spot without being seen.

He sits in the bush and thinks. But he took too long. One of the Jaggi took notice of him peeking out and went to investigate. One bark from the small monster alerted the entire pack over to that bush. _'Damn, this is gonna suck.'_ Sparrow thought to himself.

The Great Jaggi cautiously approaches the bush, and Sparrow lies in wait. He's decided to rush out once the monster is close enough. He just needs to wait for the right moment.

NOW!

Sparrow charges for the monster, startling some of the Jaggi. He slashed for the target's face and left a good scratch on its mouth. The Great Jaggi staggers backwards, and Sparrow slashes at it again. The monster shrugged off the second hit and countered but batting Sparrow with its tail. He was able to get his shield up to take most of the impact, but it was still enough to knock him over.

As he tries to regain his footing, the Great Jaggi howls. This signaled the smaller Jaggi to attack. They pounce at Sparrow one after another. Using both the blade and the shield, he manages to keep them at bay for the time being. But then the Great Jaggi attacked. Sparrow got his shield up again, but the monster bit down onto it and whipped its head back, yanking the hunter along.

The monster practically throws Sparrow through the air, and he hits the ground pretty hard. He shakes it off and gets back up to try and rush the Great Jaggi again. But the rest of the pack won't let him. Each time he takes a step towards their leader, a Jaggi leaps at him. Sparrow manages to dodge them, but the Great Jaggi shoulder-bashes him right in the back, knocking the wind out of him.

Their combo attacks are proving to be a bit much. But he has to find a way through them. He tries to think quickly, but this brief moment of not paying attention allowed the Great Jaggi to approach and bite into his torso. Luckily the armor wasn't pierced by its teeth, but it still squeezed down and caused a good deal of pain. The monster has him pinned down now.

The Great Jaggi continues its assault as it tries to tear open the armor. It begins to use the claws on its feet, but to no avail. The rest of the monster's pack try to join in too, but the leader bites at them to keep them back while it uses one of its feet to hold its victim down. A small window of opportunity has presented itself.

It's Sparrow's turn to take advantage of the opponent not paying attention. Using his sword, he stabs the Great Jaggi's foot, causing it to flinch back and lose some of its balance. Sparrow quickly gets up and unleashes a flurry of attacks on the monster. 

This attack doesn't last long however, as the Jaggi pack defend their leader. One of them jumps onto Sparrow's back. He manages to shake it off, but the Jaggi pack's onslaught continues, preventing him from going after the leader. He tries to slash at the smaller Jaggi, but they're quick. And there's always another one ready to counter. He also can't take his eyes off of the leader. Luckily, the Great Jaggi is still trying to shake off the previous attack.

The Great Jaggi then lifts its head up high and lets out another howl. But this time, the entire pack retreats into the woods. Sparrow lets out a frustrated groan as he tries to run after them, but he stumbles after a few steps. He decides that maybe now is a good time to catch his breath. He sits up and takes a drink from a potion to help him regain his strength.

-

One brief rest later, Sparrow is back on the trail of the Great Jaggi. He's in no rush now though. He needs to try and plan how to deal with the pack. Their numbers are overwhelming and proving to be a real pain.

As he traverses the woods, he suddenly feels a sensation of being watched. Could it be the Great Jaggi? Or perhaps a different monster? Sparrow readies his weapon in case of an ambush. Shortly after, a rustle is heard in the bushes. He quickly turns around and swings his sword. He narrowly misses a Felyne, managing to ever so slightly shave off a bit of fur.

Felynes are intelligent, bipedal cat-like monsters. They're capable of speech and are often seen working alongside humans and wyverians in a variety of ways, such as hunting and cooking. They're also well known for their cat puns.

"Hey! What was that fur, buddy?" the angry Felyne shouted.

Sparrow sighed out of relief that it wasn't anything worse. Despite his attack, if it was anything more dangerous than the Great Jaggi, he'd be in some real danger. "You shouldn't sneak up on people." the hunter responds.

Sparrow turns to continue walking, but the Felyne calls out to him. "Hey wait. I saw you having a purr-oblem with the Jaggi."

"What's your point?"

"What if I can purr-haps, lend a paw?"

Sparrow thought for a moment before replying. "How? Actually, why help me?"

"These Jaggi have been a thorn in our sides fur a long time, nya. We've waited fur-ever, hoping a hunter would slay them!" The Felyne said, rubbing its paws together.

He thought for another moment, and then Sparrow answered. "Alright, I could use the help I guess."

A smile stretched across the Felyne's face. "Purr-fect. But furst, you must promise me you'll return the favor some day."

"What the hell, I thought this was the favor." Sparrow barked.

The Felyne shook its head. "No no, see this- hey wait!"

Sparrow started walking away. He can't help but feel like this is a scam of some sort. But the Felyne caught back up and grabbed his leg.

"Wait! You're gonna need this help!"

Sparrow rolled his eyes. "Am I? Am I really?"

"I saw the monsters pass through here, nya. They returned to their nest. There are many Jaggi there, nya. Your struggle will only get harder!"

Sparrow weighed his options. He doesn't have time to waste here. If the monster really did retreat to its nest, it's probably gonna be filled with more Jaggi. But just what kind of favor could this Felyne want in return? He decides it's best to go along with the Felyne's idea. "Ok, fine."

The Felyne jumps for joy. "Purr-fect! Now then, here is the Jaggi's weakness. They hate fire, nya."

"That's it!?"

"Yes. Light a torch and they turn tail."

Sparrow was pretty mad but he wasn't sure who he should be mad at. He's just frustrated after this whole situation. To think that such a simple thing was supposedly the Jaggi pack's weakness. There's no use worrying about that now though. Assuming this Felyne is telling the truth, he has a way to deal with the smaller Jaggi. He continued his search for the monster, leaving the Felyne behind, who yelled out to him. "Don't fur-get your promise!"

Sparrow waved him off without turning back.

-

It wasn't long before Sparrow found the nest of the Great Jaggi. A tucked away clearing, guarded by large boulders made a perfect hideout. A few smaller Jaggi were outside the nest, patrolling the area. Sparrow was able to take them out with ease. They seem to be uncoordinated without their leader.

Along the way to this nest, Sparrow had gathered what he needs to make a torch. He takes a deep breath and lights it. _'This had better work.'_ he thought to himself.

He made his way into the nest, and it was quite a sight. Jaggi were everywhere. There were holes all over the place for them to hide in. The Great Jaggi lied in the middle, resting. But it took notice of Sparrow and got up on its feet.

Sparrow readied his sword as he held the torch in his other hand. The Great Jaggi let out a commanding howl and the smaller Jaggi surrounded the hunter. This is it, make or break.

The Great Jaggi barks an order, and Sparrow readied himself for their attack. But the attack never came. He looked around, and the Jaggi skittishly danced around him. He waved the torch at them, and they jumped back. They reformed their circle around him but stayed back a few feet. The Felyne was right. This will hopefully give him the space he needs to fight the Great Jaggi.

Sparrow rushed at his target. The smaller Jaggi dove out of his way, but the Great Jaggi is undeterred. It lunged at him, but he sidestepped it and slashed at its head, leaving a large wound on its frill.

It swung its tail around in retaliation, which knocked Sparrow to the ground. The Smaller Jaggi look like they want to jump onto him, but they refuse as long as the torch is lit.

He gets back to his feet and continues the fight. Sparrow and the Great Jaggi trade blows, wearing the other down until finally Sparrow is able to plunge his blade into the monsters throat. It staggers back and lets out a pained yelp. It howls out to its pack one last time as it falls to the ground. The hunt is complete.

Sparrow yells out a victory cry. This first battle has lit a fire in his spirit, and he feels ready to take anything on. That is, until the adrenaline finally wears off and his legs give out from under him. He sits there, exhausted and trying to catch his breath. He makes sure to wave the torch every now and then to keep the Jaggi back.

"Yeah..." he begins in between breaths. "I think I can handle this."


	3. Playing With Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sparrow joins a friend for his next quest. But what should be a relatively easy hunt becomes a deadly situation.

Sparrow emerges from the blacksmith's workshop in Loc Lac, wearing his new armor made from the Great Jaggi he hunted. It feels much easier to move in this than the Chainmail armor he had before. He examined his new Commander's Dagger sword and shield in the sunlight before sheathing it. He felt good having some upgrades.

It's been few days since the Great Jaggi hunt. A hunter's work is never done, so he heads back to his room to stock up for the next one. Upon returning, the Guildmaster was just exiting.

"Uhh, what were you doing in there?" Sparrow asks.

The Guildmaster simply ignored him and walked away. He can never tell what that old Wyverian is thinking, and now he's concerned that the old man tampered with something.

Sparrow carefully entered the room and looked around. His eyes are met with Hiro's, the young hunter he met on his first day.

"Heeeeey, it's uh, the bird guy!" Hiro exclaims.

"Why are you in here?" Sparrow asks, getting right to the point.

"Newbies generally have to share a room," the enthusiastic hunter began. He walked up to Sparrow and put an arm around his shoulder. "Man, did I luck out. It's always great to be conveniently put with friends."

Sparrow was going to correct him and say that they weren't quite friends, but it was better that he didn't. One look at Hiro's genuine smile and he felt like they've already been friends for ages. Sparrow smiled back at him and the duo fist bumped.

After some brief chitchat, Hiro gives Sparrow an offer. "I've got this Qurupeco quest lined up. You should come give me a hand!"

Sparrow agrees without a second thought, and the two gear up and set off for the Deserted Island.

The trip was uneventful, and they made it to the base camp in one piece. Sparrow takes it all in again. He just can't get enough of this place. The two eat a quick meal they had packed and begin their search for the Qurupeco.

As they travel through the forest, Hiro pulls out a field guide. He turns to a page talking about the monster in question.

"Hey, where can I get one of those?" Sparrow asks.

"I don't remember." His friend answers while looking through the book.

Sparrow sighs.

"It says here that Qurupeco uses fire and spits nasty gunk at you. And it can call other monsters to its location."

"Anything else?"

Hiro hesitates for a moment before answering. "Um. Well it says that loud sounds scare it and cancel out its songs. Man, I should have read this thing before we left, eh? Could have packed some sonic bombs..."

Sparrow chose to just remain silent. Maybe going on a hunt with Hiro wasn't his greatest idea.

The pair have done a lot of walking. They hear and see all sorts of birds, but none of them are the bird they're looking for. It has also occurred to them that neither one thought to grab a map or any extra supplies from the base camp. They try to retrace their steps, and by pure luck, they happen to find the Qurupeco.

The Qurupeco is quite a colorful monster. As the pair of hunters watch it for a moment, they see that the monster's mannerisms are a bit playful. It's hard to believe that someone needs this monster to be hunted, but a job is a job.

The two hunters duck down behind some bushes as they come up with a plan. Both of them still being novices, the plan they decided on is really simple. Ambush it, and then hit it until it dies.

It's time to set this master plan in motion. Sparrow charges ahead, making sure to get the monster's attention. The Qurupeco puts on a threat display, but the hunter is unfazed. The Bird Wyvern tries to peck him, but he manages to get around the attack.

Meanwhile, Hiro is getting up onto higher ground. He gets into position and looks down at the fight below. Sparrow is having a reasonably easy time getting the Qurupeco right where they want it.

A quick slash here, a dodge there, just enough to keep its focus on him. But the Qurupeco of course has its signature trick up its sleeve. It puffs out its chest and howls. Sparrow immediately recognizes the sound from his fight with the Great Jaggi. And sure enough, a small group of Jaggi come running, and now Sparrow is surrounded.

Now he has to dodge and block the attacks of the Jaggi group while fighting the Qurupeco. While fending off some of the Jaggi, Sparrow was barely able to notice the Qurupeco clapping together the flints on its wings. It leaps at him and claps them together once more, resulting in a small burst of flames that he manages to narrowly avoid, only ending up with his hair slightly singed.

Things have shifted to the hunters' side after this though. The fire has spooked the Jaggi a bit, and now they're hesitant to get near. Being able to focus on the target again, Sparrow manages to get it into the right position, right below Hiro.

"Now!"

Hiro jumps down from his perch, gripping the handle on his iron Greatsword. He swings his sword as he falls towards the Qurupeco, and lands a huge blow right onto the monster's beak, causing it to break. The monster stumbles backwards, nearly tripping over itself.

"Heck yeah, we got this in the bag now!" Hiro exclaims excitedly. His enthusiasm is infectious, as Sparrow grins with excitement as well. The two charge at the wounded monster, neither one noticing the slight change of coloring of the Qurupeco's tail to an angry red color.

Both of the hunters take a wild swing with their weapons, but the monster is quick to react, fanning out its tail with a spin, hitting Sparrow and causing him to collide with Hiro. Both hunters tumble across the ground for a short distance before regaining their footing.

They look up to see the Qurupeco puff up its chest again. The monster unleashes a mighty roar that Sparrow doesn't recognize, but Hiro freezes up for a moment. 

"Uh oh." is all he says.

Sparrow cuts him a look. "You wanna give me more details than just 'uh oh'?"

Hiro doesn't have time to reply to him when a shadow travels over them. The hunters hear the flapping of wings when they look up to see a Rathalos. The mighty red Wyvern has a scar running across its face. That's the only significant detail Sparrow can make out before it unleashes a barrage of fireballs. Sparrow was able to get out of the way, but Hiro was a bit slower to react. He blocks a blast of fire with his Greatsword, but the force was immense and he gets blown back.

Sparrow doesn't even get a moment to check on him before the Rathalos darts down, attempting to cut Sparrow with its talons. He manages to narrowly avoid the attack yet again.

"Hiro, into the woods!" He calls out as he makes a run for it, Hiro getting up and running after him. The Rathalos tries to follow, but the trees make it hard for the Wyvern to get through, so it backs off.

Once they're sure they're safe, Sparrow and Hiro stop to catch their breath. Although, they aren't able to relax quite yet as the Rathalos flies overhead, patrolling the area.

"Man, some luck we have eh?" Hiro asks, still smiling. Not much can keep him down.

"Yeah...was that a Rathalos?" Sparrow asks in between breaths.

"Man, you really are a newbie if you have to ask that."

"Ok I don't what every monster looks like in person, thank you." Sparrow replies, unamused. He looks up and sees the Rathalos still circling around the general area. "Why won't it leave already? It's like it's searching for us."

"Yeah, it probably is. You saw that scar. This Rathalos is known in the general region as the 'Hunter of Hunters'. Supposedly it managed to kill every hunter sent after it, and now it holds a grudge." Hiro explains.

"Lovely." Is all Sparrow can say. The Qurupeco still needs to be hunted, but Sparrow is starting to wonder if that's possible now with the Rathalos roaming around. There's no way they can fight it right now. "Maybe we should leave this quest to someone else."

Hiro looks at Sparrow with surprise. "What!? No way!"

"Well, I don't know what else to do. If that Rathalos catches us, we're toast. We need to be smart about this."

Hiro looks like he's deep in thought. "Maybe we can use the Rathalos to our advantage."

"That's a stupid idea." Sparrow immediately dismisses him.

"No no, hear me out. The Rathalos would probably attack the Qurupeco if we weren't around."

"Ok? And?"

"So, if the Qurupeco calls it again, we duck and hide. It'll come and only see Qurupeco, and it'll probably be so pissed that it'll attack it for us. Then we get the quest completed without drawing things out." Hiro explains.

Sparrow looks at him for a moment before responding. "Ok...sounds doable. But if it backfires, we're screwed. Do you want to risk that?"

"Yup."

Well that settles that. Hiro certainly has the spirit but he's a bit bit too unconcerned about danger. Still, Sparrow is willing to trust him on this. So after a brief rest, they set off to look for the Qurupeco again.

It's not long before they find the Bird Wyvern. They reengage the monster, ready to finish the fight.

Sparrow takes a swing at the monster, but it hops backwards and into the air before spitting mucus at him. He's able to block it with his shield while Hiro approaches it from the side. He takes a wide swing with his Greatsword and hits the Qurupeco, who in turn dives at him. Hiro was able to block but he gets the wind knocked out of him.

Sparrow takes a quick moment to watch the sky for any sign of the Rathalos, But in the brief moment he looks away, the Qurupeco lunges at him. He backsteps just in time to avoid the fiery explosion from the Qurupeco's flints, but he was close enough to where the mucus from earlier left on his shield ignites and now his shield is on fire.

He scrambles to get the shield straps undone to remove it, but just as he finishes, the Qurupeco pecks him into the ground. Luckily before it can do anything else, Hiro takes a swing at it, hitting the monster and causing it to back off. Hiro gives Sparrow a thumbs up, and Sparrow simply nods as he gets up.

Hiro then charges for Qurupeco, but as he does so the monster puffs out it's chest, and unleashes a roar to call the Rathalos. The hunters immediately run towards the trees to hide, splitting up. But Hiro was too far when he went for the target. The Rathalos swoops in and sees him, wasting no time in trying to blast him with fireballs.

Hiro manages to avoid them, but the plan is falling apart. But Sparrow is able to think quickly. He throws his sword at the Rathalos before hiding again. It just sorta bounces off of it, but it was enough to distract the Wyvern momentarily, allowing Hiro to duck down and hide in some shrubs. The Rathalos scans the area, but all it sees is the Qurupeco. Just as Hiro's plan required, it chases and attacks the Qururpeco. The two monsters lift into the air and fly off somewhere.

The hunters meet back up, and Hiro has quite a smug look. "See? What did I tell ya?"

Sparrow just rolls his eyes and the two follow the monsters. They quickly locate the Qurupeco's body. The quest is complete, and with that they return to Loc Lac.

The pair of hunters are at the blacksmith getting their gear repaired and upgraded. Hiro seems pretty happy about his colorful new Qurupeco armor and Pecospander Switch Axe.

"I've always wanted to try a Switch Axe." He says, happily looking over his new gear.

"Greatsword getting too heavy for you?" Sparrow jokes.

"It's too bland. I need something with a lot more style."

Sparrow laughs a bit. "Right. Well, I'm ready to head back when you are."

The duo make their way back to their quarters, when they see the Guildmaster leaving. Sparrow gets a little bit of deja vu as he tries to call out to the Wyverian to ask what he was doing, but the grouchy old man ignores him. Sparrow sighs as he and Hiro enter the home, worried about who or what they'll find...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was originally going to put links to wiki pages for the likes of the monsters, weapons, etc to be lazy and not have to describe things, but something broke so I just won't do that. In the future I'll work on descriptions, and you can always search up the names to see what everything should generally look like yourselves. Unfortunately not working on this for several months has probably affected the quality so I apologize.


End file.
